British Troops, Taliban In a Tug of War Over Afghan Province
In One Town, a Small Force Battles for Yards of Ground

Helmand province in Afghanistan has changed hands repeatedly between British and Taliban forces since the Taliban government was toppled in 2001. The British have lost 89 troops in the province, where violence surged 60 percent last year. U.S. Marines are scheduled to deploy to the province this summer.

GARMSIR, Afghanistan -- Perched on the banks of the Helmand River, this desolate town occupied by British forces marks Afghanistan's de facto border: Beyond here, the Afghan government is powerless and Taliban insurgents hold sway, their ranks replenished by recruits who enter unchallenged from Pakistan.

British Troops, Taliban In a Tug of War Over Afghan Province
Helmand: Afghanistan's Taliban Border
Scenes From the Battle for Helmand
"Everything you see to your south . . . that's all enemy territory," said Lt. Nicholas Moran, a platoon leader from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, using binoculars to survey Taliban fighters from the roof of a mud-brick compound east of Garmsir. Seconds later, he ducked as a rocket-propelled grenade whistled overhead.
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